Almost Too Late
by elsiecarson
Summary: What if after Joseph proposed to Clarisse he couldn't stay until Mia's wedding. his anger is evident even when he's caught. when Clarisse catches him leaving emotions run high and promises are made to each other about how things will go from now on.
1. Please Don't Leave I Can't Bear It

Clarisse pauses at the top of the stairs. Joseph is carrying a suitcase out the front door. No, Clarisse thinks, he can't leave. I need him too much for him to leave. She hastens down the stairs decked out in her evening gown and high heels. It's the night of the engagement banquet for her granddaughter. "Wait, Joseph. Please don't leave! I can't go into that banquet knowing that you're leaving!" No matter what she cannot let him leave her here in this abyss of never ending paperwork, politics, and loneliness.

"Why should I stay? You haven't given me any reason to stay. I have no purpose here any more." Joseph says quietly as he turns only slightly towards Clarisse. He doesn't look at her. He can't look at her. If he looks at her he'll stay.

Clarisse clenches her fists and beats them against her thighs. She bursts into tears. She turns back towards the stairs and sinks to her knees. He isn't being fair, she thinks. He must know that now is not the opportune time to do anything. "You can't go, Joseph. It's not right. You know we belong together. I love you." She whispers almost to herself.

Suddenly, instantaneously, as it has always been, Joseph appears at the door, bag still in hand. He drops the bag in the doorway and walks over to Clarisse. He clasps her shoulders, turns her around to face him and pulls her up from her knees. "Repeat that last part?" Joseph whispers. He hopes he's not hearing things. She's never been daring enough to admit her feelings out loud, even when they're in private.

"I love you and I cannot let you leave me here. This world is too overwhelming without you. I'm not me without you around." Clarisse whispers. She leans her forehead against Joseph's chest.

Joseph sighs and tears well up in his eyes. "I've waited a long time to hear those words from you. Does this mean that you'll marry me?" he asks looking down on her golden hair. He can't bear to look into her crystal blue eyes.

Clarisse looks up at Joseph with tears still dripping down her face and mascara lines on her face. She can't believe he's asked her this now, but now that it's happened she can't imagine this moment any other way. The other proposal doesn't seem as heartfelt now. "Yes, of course I'll marry you." Clarisse smiles and places her hand on his cheek. They both shiver at the touch.

A gasp and the click of cameras from behind Joseph and in front of Clarisse make the whole scene freeze. Joseph is too frozen to move, but Clarisse cautiously peeks around Joseph and is mortified to see the entire Genovian press corps standing there recording the whole scene. "Oh my God," Clarisse says as she turns and begins to run up the stairs back in the direction of her suite. She should have known they were there. They're always there.

When Joseph sees Clarisse running up the stairs he knows that whoever eavesdropped in on the whole scene was someone Clarisse did not want eavesdropping in on the scene. He takes a deep breath and then slowly spins on his heel to face the way she was facing. The press corps immediately starts snapping pictures of his tear stained face. "Shit," he says as he starts after Clarisse, taking the stairs two at a time. "Clarisse, wait!" he calls as she keeps running.

"How does this keep happening? How do I keep ending up getting everything so badly wrong?" Clarisse asks breathing heavily as she finally stops.

"The question is: do you want the speculation and gossip in the paper tomorrow or do you want the truth to be printed?" Joseph asks as he pulls out his handkerchief and dries Clarisse's face, and manages to get most of the mascara streaks off. He likes her better without make-up anyway. He reaches into his pants pocket for something. "Here, I'll give you this now." He says as he slips her original wedding and engagement rings off and tucks them in his pocket, and puts her new engagement ring on: the one he'd chosen for her.

"Oh, Joseph! What are we going to do?" Clarisse asks as she throws her arms around his neck. She can't handle all the emotions running through her right now.

Joseph clumsily catches Clarisse and holds her closely. He's feeling totally out of his element right now. He's not used to press conferences from this angle. He's used to watching her be strong and articulate during press conferences. He doesn't want to be in front of the microphones and cameras. "We go face the pack of wolves that would prefer us not to go talk to them right now."


	2. What's Going On?

"What's going on?" Mia asks as she walks up to her grandmother and Joseph. She looks confused. "What's all the commotion about downstairs? Charlotte sounds distraught."

"Oh my god, we left Charlotte down there all by herself." Clarisse says sounding utterly ashamed. "We better go and rescue her."

"That's my girl." Joseph says smiling at her.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Mia cries in frustration.

"All right, but you're getting the short version. I was leaving and Clarisse caught me and told me she loved me, and I proposed and she said yes, but what we didn't know was that the whole Genovian press corps was standing there." Joseph says all in one breath. Normally he doesn't tell anyone about his private life, but Mia's almost like his own granddaughter. He loves Mia like a granddaughter.

"Quick, go rescue Charlotte." Mia says pushing her grandmother and Joseph towards the stairs. "Congratulations, by the way!" she calls after them.


	3. Facing the Press and the Aristocracy

"Are you sure you're okay?" Joseph asks as he rubs small circles on Clarisse's back as they approach the stairs.

"I'm more than okay, I'm wonderful. Let me answer most of the questions unless they're directed specifically to you." Clarisse says trying to shield Joseph.

"I have no problem with that." Joseph says breathing a sigh of relief. He's not ready for a giant task like a press conference quite yet, and certainly not an impromptu one such as this.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the Genovian Press Corps. I apologize for my reaction earlier. You all took me by surprise." Clarisse says as she reaches the reporters and photographers.

"How long has this relationship been going on? Did you cheat on King Rupert? Is this all recent or have you known about each others' feelings for a long time? Have you been intimate with him?" the reporters all ask at once.

"I will do my best to answer your questions, but be aware I will not answer all the questions I am asked." Clarisse says calmly trying not to run her hands over her face in frustration. "This relationship in this form is relatively new. It only got started in San Francisco five years ago, but didn't progress very far. No, I've never cheated on King Rupert. I think we both knew about each other's feelings, but we didn't act on them for a long time. I will not dignify that last question with a response." Clarisse says calmly.

"Your majesty, are you happy?"

"I think it would be difficult not to be happy in this situation, but I am ecstatic. We're not sure when the wedding will be yet, but when we figure it out we'll let all of you know." Clarisse says smiling for the first time since she knew the press corps had been standing there. "We need to get through my granddaughter's wedding first before I even begin to think about my own, especially since this is unexpected." Clarisse finally gets a chance to walk away and walk into the banquet to celebrate her granddaughter's engagement. "Joseph, stay close tonight." She whispers to the man standing just behind her, where he's always been. She knows that everyone in the banquet hall heard all the commotion.

"Of course, but why? It's not as if this crowd is dangerous."Joseph whispers as they enter the room. The attending guests immediately fall silent. "Oh, got it."

"Good evening everyone." Clarisse says calmly as she sits in her seat at the head of the table.

"Your majesty," the chorus echoes around the room.

"Congratulations your majesty," Sebastian says quietly as he leans towards the queen.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I needed someone to say something positive." Clarisse whispers congenially.

"It's hardly surprising. Those of us that are observant know that they've been together for years."Viscount Mabrey says viciously.

"You have no proof that that's true at all. I resent the insinuation you're making, Viscount, and I'd thank you not to do so again." Clarisse says calmly. "It not only makes Joseph and I look bad, but you're disrespecting King Rupert."

"Ooh, she's more fiery than I first thought. I can see what you like about her Joseph. She must be wonderful in bed." Viscount Mabrey say cynically.

Clarisse catches Joseph's wrist as he walks towards Viscount Mabrey. She can tell he'd love to hit him, but she also knows that cannot happen. Luckily for her Sebastian steps in to rescue her. "Viscount Mabrey I'll thank you to keep your mouth shut. If nothing else Queen Clarisse in an honourable, honest woman. She deserves none of your censure. And may I remind everyone that we're here to celebrate Princess Mia's forthcoming wedding in one week's time."

"For once I agree with Prime Minister Motaz. Can't we all just have a nice dinner?" Baron Von Troken asks.

"All I ask is that everyone here be civil for the evening." Prime Minister Motaz requests.

Clarisse silently breathes a sigh of relief. This situation could blow up into something very unpleasant if Sebastian and surprisingly Baron Von Troken hadn't stepped in and defended her.


	4. I'm Gaining a Family! Gasp!

Later when dinner is over and Clarisse, Mia, and Joseph all leave the room and the rest of the guests head towards the exits, Clarisse leans towards Joseph and says, "Can we talk in my suite the three of us?"

"The three of us?" Joseph looks at Clarisse with a confused look on his face.

"I want to talk to Mia as well. She has a right to ask us certain questions, but we can also reserve the right to not tell her certain things." Clarisse says looking over at her granddaughter who she can tell has been dying to ask questions for a long time.

Joseph looks relieved. "That's fine. We will have some time to ourselves just the two of us after that, won't we?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." Clarisse says sweetly.

"You two are just so sweet together. I'm surprised I didn't notice before just how close the two of you are." Mia says knowing she's eavesdropping. It's the habit her grandmother hates the most, except for biting her fingernails.

"Many of the things we did could have been interpreted as just two close friends who have known each other for a long time as well, you know." Joseph says firmly.

"Sure, Joe. I believe you about as far as I can spit, which isn't very far." Mia says smiling at her future grandfather.

"Oh, you're a brat. What am I going to do with you?" Joseph says smiling at Mia.

"I don't know but you're going to be able to speak your opinion about me a lot more freely since I'll be becoming your granddaughter." Mia says throwing Joseph for a loop.

"My God, I didn't even think about that. I'll be gaining a whole big family. Clarisse, should you call Pierre tonight and let him know about all this before he reads this or hears it on the television?" Joseph's face is suddenly full of worry.

"I'm sorry Joe. I didn't mean to make you more nervous." Mia says as she pouts her bottom lip out a little.

"You didn't. You just gave me more to think about. I will be thrilled to have you as a granddaughter. Don't worry about me. Your grandmother and I will get through all this." Joseph says as they enter the suite.


	5. Family Conversations

Clarisse goes over to her telephone and says, "Joseph, I think you're right. I'm going to call Pierre right now and let him know what's going on. Why don't you two get settled in the living room? I'll be right in."

"There's no way I'm leaving you here to deal with your son. I'll be right here next to you where I've always been. Mia, why don't you go change out of your evening gown and come right back?" Joseph says putting his hand on Clarisse's shoulder.

"I was waiting for someone to say that we should change. I'm dying in this dress. Thank you!" Mia says running out of the room and down the hall towards her room.

"Oh that girl." Clarisse laughs at her granddaughter's actions and then picks up her phone and dials her son's number at the Vatican in Rome. She hopes he'll still be up.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice says on the other end of the line after the phone has rung five times.

"Hello? Pierre? This is your mother." Clarisse says almost stiffly.

"Mama? What are you doing calling this late?" Pierre asks as he's suddenly wide awake. "Is everything okay? Is everyone alright over there?"

"Everything's fine, but I thought I should phone and tell you something before you read about it or see it on the television." Clarisse says all in one breath.

"Mama, what is it? You're scaring me." Pierre says. He may be many miles away from his mother, but he still worries about her.

"It's good news! Or at least I hope you'll think it's good news. I'm getting married!" Clarisse says the excitement evident in her voice.

"Mama, that is good news. Who are you marrying?" Pierre asks innocently. He has a pretty good idea about who his mother is talking about though. Joseph has always been close to the family.

"I'm marrying Joseph." Clarisse says as she reaches for Joseph's hand next to her. She needs his touch and closeness right now. Telling her son this makes her nervous and makes the news far more real.

"Your Head of Security Joseph? Oh Mama, that's wonderful news. I always knew the two of you should be together. I was hesitant to say anything though. I'm very happy for you. Can I talk to Joseph for a minute?" Pierre says secretly smiling over the phone. He always noticed the looks and touches between his mother and Joseph.

"Joseph, Pierre would like to talk to you." Clarisse says passing her fiancé the phone. "Don't worry, he's happy about this."

"Hello Pierre." Joseph says formally.

"Joseph, congratulations, you finally convinced her, good for you. What did you have to do to get her to say yes?" Pierre asks knowing that Joseph and his mother have been very close for years. He's always been able to tease Joseph.

"I had to leave." Joseph says quietly.

"What? Why would you do that?" Pierre asks shocked at Joseph's actions.

"I'd asked her to marry me and she'd said no and so I packed my bags and was leaving and Clarisse caught me and said that I couldn't go, so I asked her again if she would marry me and she said yes. Unfortunately, the entire press corps was standing there, so it didn't exactly make the moment private." Joseph says honestly. He doesn't want to start his relationship with Pierre by lying to him. It sounds silly when he actually says it.

"That's totally unromantic! At least on your part!" Pierre says teasing his future step-father. "Well, good luck, dad. I'm certainly happy for the two of you and I better get a wedding invitation just like I got one to my niece's. I guess I'll see you at Mia's wedding. Tell Mama I love her. See you in two days Joseph." Pierre says. He's always liked Joseph.

"Bye Pierre." Joseph says before he puts down the phone. "Pierre told me to tell you that he loves you and he'll see us when he comes out for Mia's wedding." Joseph says squeezing Clarisse's shoulders. "He also told me that the way I proposed the second time was entirely unromantic. Whatever that means."

"It may have been unromantic, but we'll certainly never forget it. It was entirely unique and I'm sure the press corps will never forget it either. Is he really happy about us?" Clarisse asks looking up at Joseph.

"Yes, he is. He only wants you to be happy and he could hear the happiness in your voice tonight. He wants someone around that can help you. He's so happy he even called me dad, but that makes me slightly uncomfortable." Joseph says as he sits down on the sofa in the living room.

"He was probably teasing, but then again, you were around more than his own father was when he was small. He probably sees you as a substitute father in many regards." Clarisse says thoughtfully.

"That's sweet really. He's a good man. You did right by him Clarisse. He's devoted to you. In some ways I think he can't wait to come home to Genovia. He wants to be here with you more often." Joseph says teasing Clarisse.

"You had as much to do with him turning out well as I did. I had no idea how to raise boys. You helped me so much. Both my boys were such boys' boys and I was a girly girl when I was little. I was so stumped by them. After all, I grew up with sisters; I didn't have any brothers. I was at a disadvantage when I had boys. It made Rupert happy though." Clarisse smiles at Joseph as she sits carefully on the sofa smoothing the skirt of her evening gown under her. She curls into Joseph's side and allows her head to sink onto his chest. She finds it difficult to relax like this because she's not used to being allowed to be this at ease with Joseph. Before she was always worried about the servants catching them, but now Joseph is her fiancé and she can spend as much time as she wants with him. He clearly cannot remain as her Head of Security between now and the wedding though. "I expect your letter of resignation or retirement no later than the end of the week." Clarisse says firmly.

"Yes, ma'am. I told Shades he was going to be in charge anyways, so he's ready to go as soon as I am." Joseph says teasing Clarisse about her professional tone.

"Will it be difficult to retire? You've worked here for so long. Will it be awkward to go from being a member of staff to being a member of the royal family?" Clarisse asks concerned that Joseph's change of status will change the way people on staff feel about him.

"It might be a little bit difficult to retire, but just because I've retired doesn't mean I won't still be protecting you. That will never change. This won't be awkward, but it will be an awfully big change. I'm going to need your help to be ready for all of this publicity. I'm used to you getting all the attention. It's going to be odd for me to be in the spotlight with you." Joseph says kissing the top of Clarisse's head.


	6. Welcome to the Family

A moment later Mia bounces into the room. "I brought champagne." She says calmly as she carries the tray in. "I thought we could all celebrate."

"That's a wonderful idea, Mia. Would you do the honours please Joseph?" Clarisse asks looking at the bottle of champagne. She's never done well opening champagne bottles.

"Of course, let's hope I can do this without it exploding everywhere." Joseph says as he slowly and carefully uncorks the bottle. He carefully pours three glasses of champagne. "I'd like to make a toast: to my fiancée, the lovely Clarisse. I never thought this moment would happen, but now that it has it is better and more joyful than I ever imagined. You make me so happy. Thank you for letting me in to your hectic life." Joseph says as he leans over and kisses Clarisse.

"I would like to make a toast, too. To Joe, my future grandfather. Joe you've always been there for me, even when I thought that maybe I didn't want to be a princess. You've rescued me when I needed rescuing and I appreciate all of that more than you will ever know. Most of all, though, I appreciate how happy you've made grandma. She didn't even have to say anything about how she feels about you. Her eyes would light up when someone mentioned your name or she heard your voice. I heard about the dance the two of you shared after my dance lesson that day in San Francisco. That must have been some dance Joe because it sure made grandma happy and she stopped wearing black. I know that grandma and grandpa's marriage was arranged and grandma described grandpa as her best friend. I hope that she's found something more than a best friend in you, Joe. We both love you very much and I wish you the very best. You deserve it." Mia says. She then walks over and gives Joe a big hug. "Welcome to the family officially, Joe. You've really been a part of the family for years. I'm glad grandma didn't let you escape because the palace wouldn't have been the same without you around."

Joseph gives Mia a tight squeeze and tears trail down his face. He wasn't expecting such a warm reception from Mia. "Thank you, darling girl." Joseph looks over at Clarisse and notices her tears. He reaches into his inside pocket and passes Clarisse his handkerchief which already has her mascara marks on it. "I certainly wasn't expecting that. Thank you, Mia."

"Joe you've been a part of the family for years. Even my dad mentioned you in his letter to me. He told me that if you were still here that I was to stick to you like glue and listen carefully because you knew everything I'd ever have to know. He also told me to trust you because no one was more protective of the Queen and the Renaldi boys. He appreciated what you did a great deal." Mia says sitting next to Joe on the couch.

"I only did my job. I always cared, perhaps more than other security officers at the palace did, but it was still my job. I wouldn't have felt right doing anything less." Joseph says confusedly.

"Joseph, you went above and beyond the call of duty. For you, you considered it doing your job, for me it was going one step better. The boys adored you. You'd play with them and talk with them. You knew more about them than their own father did. You made sure you were always around if any of us needed you. No one else did that. You may not want to take the credit, but you kept us very happy, Joseph. Most security guards would just make sure we were safe." Clarisse says gently putting one hand over Joseph's. Joseph blushes under Clarisse's praise.

"Well, I just have two quick questions before I head to bed since I'm so tired. How long have you two known about this? Can I trust the two of you alone in here after I go to bed?" Mia asks teasing her grandmother and Joseph.

"I can't pinpoint when I fell in love, but I can tell you when I realized that I loved Joseph. I realized that I loved him when we were in San Francisco after your dance lesson when we were dancing. I looked at him and I was so comfortable with him, but I still feel like he can melt my knees with his smiles. Of course you can trust us in here by ourselves." Clarisse sighs as she reminisces and then smiles cheekily at her granddaughter.

"I think I've probably been in love with your grandmother for a long time. I really realized that I did when we were flying to San Francisco and your grandmother was quite nervous and she asked me sit next to her and she fell asleep with her head on my shoulder, though I'm sure she doesn't remember that at all. I realized as I watched her sleep that I couldn't imagine being without her. And like your grandmother said, you can trust us alone in this suite for a while. Besides, we have some things to discuss without you hanging around." Joseph says as he looks to the middle distance. Clarisse blushes as Joseph looks back to her.

"All I can say is that you two are really lucky to have found each other. I think you're perfect together and I'm really glad the two of you are so happy. Congratulations, you two. I love you both so very much. I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow. The three of us should have breakfast together tomorrow." Mia says as she skips out of the room.

"That would be great. See you for breakfast tomorrow in my suite then." Clarisse answers watching her granddaughter leave the room.

"'Kay grandma." Mia calls back.

"Oh, that girl. I do love her, but she is exhausting. Well, that was quite a day my love, but the end was lovely overall. This feels very surreal right now. I've waited for this for us for so long that now that it's happened it doesn't feel real. I can't believe I almost let you go. I must have been crazy." Clarisse says as she leans her head on Joseph's shoulder.


	7. New Surroundings

"I never thought we could be this way. I'm so happy. What was I thinking? I could never have left you. My heart was just so broken that I didn't stop to think about whether I could handle life without you. I would have been back and I would have begged for your forgiveness for being a fool. I can't believe I was seriously considering leaving." Joseph says shaking his head.

"I don't blame you for thinking about it. I was cruel. You opened your heart to me and I shut you down without another thought. You didn't let me finish my thought that terrible night because I'd crushed you so thoroughly and I didn't recognize that. I expected you to understand like you always had and when you didn't I didn't know how to react. I was scared and, in a way, I still am. This could backfire on me in a very big way. The reaction tomorrow could be bad. I'm worried. I don't want Amelia's reign to start on a sour note because her own grandmother misread things. Promise me you'll help me with all this publicity. You'll have to be at all the events, at my side now, as my consort." Clarisse says as she tucks her feet up on the sofa.

"You'll have to give me some basic guidelines. I've been going to events with you for years, but I've never really paid attention to the protocols and etiquette." Joseph says sheepishly.

"I should have known that you weren't paying attention. You were watching me the whole time, weren't you?" Clarisse asks cheekily. "Are you staying?"

"We just got engaged of course I'm staying." Joseph says confusedly.

"I mean are you sleeping over? I happen to know that Charlotte had one of the valets move some of your things in here. You can stay if you want." Clarisse says trying to explain.

"Is that a plea? If it is that's the second one I've heard today. You rarely plead for anything. Is this something you truly want right now? Be honest. I know certain situations make you uncomfortable." Joseph says quietly.

"Yes, I'm certain. I know I can be uncertain at times, but this is not one of them. I want this desperately with you. Please, Joseph, stay with me. I need this tonight. I'm terribly afraid that if you leave my side this will all have been a dream." Clarisse says as she pours herself another glass of champagne.

"Of course I'll stay. It's where I want to be. Do you need help getting out of your evening gown?" Joseph asks as he looks at his fiancée who is sitting up terribly straight because the bodice of her dress is so tight. She looks phenomenal in it though.

"Yes please. It's far too tight to be wearing for this long. When I come back we're going to talk some more and finish this bottle of champagne. That was a good idea of Mia's. It certainly calmed my nerves." Clarisse says as she turns her back to Joseph and allows him to unzip her dress. She shivers when she feels his fingers on her bare back. She's not used to it.

"Why were you nervous? I know the situation didn't exactly go according to plan, but you shouldn't have been nervous about anything." Joseph says pressing a kiss to Clarisse's now bare shoulder. He loves being able to kiss her wherever and whenever he likes. He never thought he'd have the opportunity to do so. He hopes it doesn't make her uncomfortable.

"I was worried about Mia's reaction and Pierre's reaction. I was nervous about what parliament would say. I was nervous that I was merely dreaming. All my irrational fears surfaced quite quickly. I was so scared when I saw you trying to leave tonight. Weren't you even going to say goodbye?" Clarisse asks as she holds her dress bodice up with her right hand and turns back to Joseph.

"I'm still wondering if I'm dreaming actually." Joseph confesses quietly. "Of course I said goodbye. There's a letter on your desk with my resignation and a personal letter to you apologizing for the position I will have left you in. It all seems rather pointless now. Now go change and come back and join me when you're more comfortably dressed." Joseph says as he leans over and kisses Clarisse.

"You don't have to tell me twice. This dress was a terrible idea. It's far too tight. Charlotte persuaded me to wear it." Clarisse says as she jumps up and heads in the direction of her, their, bedroom. "You can come join me and we can talk in here too and you can get out of your tux. I know you hate wearing it." She says as she pokes her head out the bedroom door and smiles at Joseph who appears to be daydreaming.

The bodice of her dress has fallen down around her waist and Joseph can see her black lace bra. His breath hitches in his throat. When did she get to be so bold, he wonders, she wasn't before, but she wasn't allowed to be. He doesn't say anything, but stands up and walks across the room. He pauses on the threshold of her bedroom, her sanctuary, her inner sanctum, the forbidden zone, the one place he'd never allowed himself to go. He can't take the moment in all at once.

Clarisse looks over at him and smiles. She's standing in the doorway of her walk-in closet. "You're allowed to come in Joseph. It's all right now. This is your space too. Your clothes in the closet prove it. They look pretty good in there too, but there's far too much black in your colour palette."

Joseph snaps out of his reverie and enters the room. His dress shoes sink heavily into the plush carpet. He takes a deep breath and inhales the smell of the room, an elusive smell, her smell, a smell he loves. "That statement is funny coming from the woman who wore black every day for eighteen months." Joseph says as he sinks onto the end of the bed. "I might change too. I hate tuxedos anyway. They've always been too formal for me."

Clarisse smiles as she watches Joseph try and get comfortable with his new surroundings. She can tell he's in awe at everything at the moment. To be truthful, so is she, but she's in her usual surroundings; she can't imagine how he's feeling in a strange new place. She settles on the set of powder blue pyjamas she wore to walk Maurice before she entered Mia's bachelorette sleepover party. Joseph's seen her in those before so she hopes they won't create too much of a stir.

Joseph comes out of the closet wearing casual pants and a loose dark t-shirt. He looks so casual and comfortable. Clarisse has never seen him so at ease before with his hands stuck in the pockets of his pants. This is so different from his attitude as her bodyguard. Clarisse tries not to stare or let her mind wander to the wonderful physique she knows is hidden under his baggy outfit, but it's difficult. Joseph smirks when he notices what his fiancée is doing. "Like what you see?" Joseph asks casually. He's teasing more than usual. Normally he wouldn't dare to say such a thing.

"I always have. I know how much you work out and so I have an idea of how good you look under those baggy clothes. I've never seen you dressed so casually, though. It looks good on you." Clarisse smiles as she walks back to the living room with Joseph trailing behind her.

"Do you have any idea what those pyjamas do to me even when I see you walking through the palace? You're very distracting." Joseph teases as he comes and sits next to her on the sofa and pours himself another glass of champagne.


	8. Nervousness Sets In

"You're very distracting too. I notice you every time you walk into a room. If you get close enough I can smell you too, but it's a wonderful smell." Clarisse says as she notices Joseph raise his eyebrow at her statement. "I can always tell when you're close. I can feel your presence always when you're close. It calms me." Clarisse says as she sips her champagne. The bubbles pop and fizzle across her tongue and she feels the carbonation go up her nose and she shivers.

Joseph is surprised by Clarisse's confession and chuckles when she shivers knowing that the champagne bubbles caused it. She always seems perfect to him. "You never showed your distraction. You were always poised and attentive." Joseph says as he watches Clarisse curl her feet under her.

"Clearly you were paying too much attention to me. It's a good thing others were focusing on protecting me. I might have been killed." Clarisse teases Joseph. She knows he's professional and would never have let anyone hurt her.

"I was focusing on protecting you, but whenever I could glance in your direction you always seemed poised, collected, and attentive. I often wondered how you managed in some of those dull parliamentary meetings." Joseph says trying to protect himself against her onslaught.

"I learned to perfect my look that makes me look like I'm listening but I'm really not. It was one truly useful thing Rupert taught me." Clarisse says calmly. She then decides to switch topics entirely. "What do we do now Joseph? Things are so different now. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the past five hours or so. I mean when do we start planning our life together? Can we start now? Should we wait until Mia is married and settled as queen? I feel so out of sorts and topsy-turvy right now. Things have happened so quickly and I'm not sure I've processed everything yet."

"I can't answer that for you Clarisse. Maybe after a good night's sleep you'll be better prepared to make some decisions. I just want to enjoy our evening together without being so cerebral." Joseph says teasing his fiancée about being so concerned all at once. "Let's see what the media says in the morning and then we can make a more informed decision."

"I'm sorry about all this. I haven't made tonight any easier or more enjoyable, have I? I suppose I worry too much sometimes. It's just so natural. I've been worrying about other people for so long and what others would think of me that I have sort of forgotten how to live without the worry. I hope I remember soon because I'm certain my worrying is not helping you any." Clarisse says as she leans her head on Joseph's chest. She's comfortable with him for the first time tonight. She's not worried about servants walking in on her and being shocked. It took some mental adjustment, but it's finally sinking in that Joseph and she are finally together.

"It's natural to be worried when you've been in the position of having to worry about everything you say and do for so long. It's time to let go of all that now. The worry is not worth the pain it is causing you. Think of happy things, like the fact that your son is coming to visit in two days." Joseph says as he holds Clarisse's hand in his own. Clarisse yawns as Joseph finishes talking. "That's enough. We're going to bed before you fall asleep sitting here with me." Joseph takes Clarisse's hand and leads her into the bedroom. Clarisse sits down on the edge of the bed and sighs. She slowly slips her slippers off and continues to sit on the edge of the bed. "Are you nervous about this?" Joseph asks as he kneels in front of Clarisse.

"I've never spent an entire night sleeping next to someone. Rupert used to leave after and I suppose my brain is running ahead of me again." Clarisse says quietly dropping her head into her hands.

"It's okay to be nervous. I understand. You don't think I'm nervous? Give me your hand for a second." Joseph says as he puts Clarisse's hand over his heart. "My heart's been pounding like that since you caught me leaving. I can't get myself back under control. I'm never going to live this down with the security guys now." Joseph says trying to lighten the mood.

"Come to bed," Clarisse says when she regains her voice. Joseph's right, he's at least as nervous as she is, after all he's never been married before and Clarisse has never been in a loving relationship before. She pulls Joseph up from his knees in front of her. "Go put your pyjamas on and I'll be right here waiting for you." Clarisse swings her legs onto the bed and reaches for her book and her reading glasses.

Joseph chuckles as he walks towards the chest of drawers that he assumes have some of his things in them already. Clarisse's staff is nothing, if not thorough. He frowns as he rummages through them however. All the items in all the drawers seem to be awfully feminine and nothing looks like his pyjamas. "I'd love to change into my pyjamas, except I can't because they're not here." Joseph says peevishly.

"I'd check the closet, darling. My pyjamas get hung up, so maybe someone assumed that your pyjamas should be hung up too." Clarisse mumbles from behind her book.

Joseph trudges over to the closet. It's been a long day and he's tired. Normally he's not so free in expressing his emotions. It's wearing. He smiles as he sees his pyjamas hanging in the closet next to Clarisse's. He slips into a red silk pair and walks out of the closet. Clarisse has snuggled down in the covers on the left hand side of the bed. He carefully climbs into the right side of the bed and flings the covers over himself.

"You're not a blanket hog, are you?" Clarisse asks as she tugs the blankets back towards herself.

"I don't know," Joseph says honestly. "It's been a long time since I've had someone in bed next to me."

Clarisse chuckles low in her throat. "Never mind. Just turn out the lights. It's been a long day trying to deal with Amelia's stress and nerves today."

Joseph reaches up to the switch behind the bed and flicks the lights out and then sinks his head onto his pillow. Clarisse snuggles against him so naturally anyone watching would have thought they'd been married for years and years. Joseph falls asleep quickly with Clarisse in his arms. Clarisse also takes a very short time to fall asleep despite her nervousness about sleeping next to Joseph.


	9. Up Early

Joseph opens his arms sometime later in the night when he feels Clarisse trying to get out of bed. He gives her some time on her own wondering if she's headed to the bathroom, but five minutes later when he hasn't heard the toilet flush or felt her come back to bed, he climbs out of bed to goes looking for her. Clarisse is sitting on the window seat watching the stars as they start to fade in the early morning light. "Clarisse, is something wrong?" Joseph asks quietly as he comes up behind her. he doesn't want to startle her.

"No, of course not. I'm just thinking. I'm always thinking. I fell asleep, but I didn't stay asleep and I didn't want to wake you, so I got up and the sky was so beautiful I ended up being rather entranced by it." Clarisse says as she turns slightly towards Joseph.

Joseph sits behind Clarisse on the window seat and she sinks her head on his shoulder. She's actually terribly tired. When Olivia, Clarisse's ladies' maid, comes into the room at 7:00, a mere three hours later, Clarisse and Joseph are both asleep on the window seat, curled in each others' arms. Instead of waking them, Olivia silently exits the room and leaves them to sleep, at least for another half hour until they have to get dressed for breakfast with Mia. Clarisse wakes up naturally, on her own, and squints at the clock on the mantelpiece. In horror she jumps up off the window seat and runs into the bedroom to find something to wear. Joseph, being startled awake by Clarisse's movements, quickly follows her. "Clarisse, what is it?" Joseph asks as he watches her start to dress.

"Amelia will be here for breakfast in half an hour." Clarisse says breathlessly. She is holding a purple skirt, a lilac blouse, and a white sweater in hands as her outfit for her relatively low key day.

"Oh, dear Lord, I forgot all about that." Joseph says as he enters the closet and pulls out a pair of black dress pants, a black dress shirt, and a mauve tie.

"You don't have to start matching my wardrobe choices quite yet." Clarisse teases as she raises her nightgown over her head and tosses it on the bed.

"I don't mind." Joseph says as he slowly changes out of his pyjamas into his outfit for the day.

Clarisse smoothes her hair as she walks out into the sitting room where there's a small breakfast nook. Mia walks in only a few moments later. "Morning, grandma," Mia says in her usual bouncy tone. "You look well rested and happy. Did someone stay over last night?"

"I don't think that's any of your business quite frankly. I did sleep fairly well last night, however, once I calmed down a little bit." Clarisse says calmly. She's not willing to share all her secrets with her granddaughter quite yet.

"I'll pry it out of Joseph later, so you might as well just tell me. Nice tie by the way, Joe." Mia teases as she sits down at the breakfast table and pours herself a cup of coffee. "What's up with having coffee at breakfast? You never drink coffee grandma."

"Whoever said it was for me? I never drink coffee. Joseph does. I'm trying to be accommodating and I know that you like it, so I put it on the list for breakfast this morning." Clarisse remains calm and pours herself a cup of hot tea as she suspiciously watches her granddaughter.

"You might as well tell her Clarisse. I hate it when she pries things out of me. It always makes me feel as if I've given away some big secret or something." Joseph says tiredly. Even after Clarisse fell asleep last night he laid awake for a while wondering about the future.

"Joseph, are you sure?" Clarisse whispers to her fiancé.

"I wouldn't have told you to tell her unless I was sure that I wanted you to. She deserves to know Clarisse." Joseph says calmly as he sips his coffee.

"Fine, you're right, Amelia. Joseph did stay over last night. I'd prefer you don't spread that too far, though. Not very many people are aware of this yet. Have you seen a newspaper yet this morning?" Clarisse asks quickly changing the subject.

"I haven't yet, grandma, but I assume Charlotte has a large stack of them for you to browse this morning. I have watched a little bit of TV this morning and the media hasn't said anything negative about you getting remarried. In fact, the only person who made a negative comment at all, to my knowledge, was Viscount Mabrey, and he's never happy about anything." Amelia says honestly.

Suddenly there's a soft knock at the door. Charlotte enters and says, "Your majesty I know you asked not to be disturbed this morning, but I had to deliver some of these communiqués in order to start my work this morning."

"Bring them here Charlotte, thank you." Clarisse says trying not to appear nervous. "Do we know who they're from?"

"Mostly foreign royal families, I believe. I suspect there are also some from the nobility of Genovia as well." Charlotte says dropping a large stack of envelopes on the small table.


	10. Letter Reading with Family

"Oh my God, I wasn't anticipating this rapid a response. Hopefully, they're all positive." Joseph says quietly as he begins to open one of the envelopes. He doesn't want Clarisse to regret saying she'd marry him.

"Answers always come more quickly than I would like. Be careful in case they're not all friendly. People sometimes put nasty things in their letters if they don't like what's being proposed." Clarisse says calmly.

"Now you tell me," Joseph says sarcastically. Secretly he's rather glad that he opened the first one in case there was something nasty in it. He's still in protection mode when it comes to Clarisse. As Joseph watches Clarisse her face goes bright red. "What's up, Clarisse?"

"I'm rather glad that I opened this letter from Sebastian. It's cheeky. I'm quite glad Amelia didn't open this one. He also suggests something a little hard to imagine." Clarisse says passing Joseph the letter.

Joseph's face goes instantly red. "That's a racy letter coming from the prime minister to his queen. Some of the suggestions seem a little impossibly flexible too." Joseph whispers to Clarisse.

"He's such a tease. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it except to do exactly what he managed to do: embarrass the two of us." Clarisse says as she throws the letter into the fireplace. It's not the kind of letter she'd like anyone, especially her granddaughter to see. Her granddaughter is lovely, but tends to overemphasize certain things and likes to make Clarisse uncomfortable if she can. Clarisse flips through the letters looking for the ones from the royal families first. Those opinions will be the most important ones as those are the people she sees most often in her personal life. She is surprised not to see a letter from the royal family of Great Britain. "Joseph do you have a letter from Queen Elizabeth in England?" Clarisse asks as she slits open a letter with the letter opener Charlotte brought in with the stack of letters. The first letter she starts reading is from the Spanish royal family.

"I haven't seen one yet, but then again I don't know what I'm looking for either." Joseph says as he licks his thumb and flicks through his stack of letters quickly to see if he can spot the one she's looking for.

"Their letters are normally in heavy cream coloured envelopes with black calligraphy type writing. Do you have anything like that?" Clarisse asks looking over her glasses.

Joseph flips through his stack again and then picks up the stack next to it and flips through that too. When he's finished he shrugs. He knows that Clarisse and Elizabeth have been close for a long time so it seems odd that there isn't a letter from England.

Suddenly Amelia looks up. "Is this the letter you're looking for grandma? I don't know about cream exactly, but the writing is right." It's as if she's been off in her own little world until now.

Clarisse takes the letter from her and slits it open. The Queen's opinion is important. She is the matriarch of all European royal families. She smiles as she gets to the end of the letter. "This is a lovely letter. You should read it Joseph part of it is written to you and Prince Philip has written you a little note too. I was worried about her being critical of this, but after what her children have been caught doing over the last few years she'd hardly do that."

Joseph takes the letter from Clarisse and begins to read. He's glad she's gotten support from her peer group so far. He doesn't want their engagement to bring her down in anyone's estimation.

"Grandma this letter looks like it's from the same person, but why would the British royal family send two letters?" Amelia asks in confusion.

"It's probably from Prince Charles. He and I have known each other for a long time and he really has his own court at Clarence House. It's hard when you're the heir to the throne for most of your life. It creates conflict. I'm sure he'll be sympathetic. He knows Joseph well." Clarisse smiles at Joseph. She slowly reads the letter and then shakes her head and rereads it. "This is so generous I can't believe it! He's offering us his country house as our honeymoon getaway destination." Suddenly Joseph begins to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Prince Philip wrote in his note that the two most important words in my vocabulary will soon be yes dear. He does give good advice though. After all he's one person I could use the advice from as the longest reigning royal consort in history. Don't worry I will endeavor to be more politically correct, but he must have some good advice on how to fulfill the role he fulfills." Joseph says quickly as he notices the look on Clarisse's face. "Would you like to go to England for our honeymoon? It's up to you."

"It's probably one of the more inconspicuous places we could go. The security where we'd be going is very good. We'd be terribly safe. What do you think, after all, this is going to be your honeymoon too." Clarisse says deferring to Joseph. It's been a long time since she's had to make a decision with someone else.

"I was kind of hoping we could go someone warm, but security would be much more conspicuous there and maybe that's not what we want for our honeymoon either. Why don't you inquire for more details to Prince Charles and we'll see what he has in mind before we make a definite decision." Joseph says as he sips his coffee. His coffee is getting cold and that's slightly disappointing. "Is there any more coffee?"

"Yes, dear," Clarisse says absentmindedly as she continues to read letters. "It's in the coffee pot on the sideboard."

"It's all good news I hope." Joseph smiles as he pours fresh, hot coffee into his cup.

"Mostly," Clarisse says with a small frown. "The only downer is my sister's letter. That hardly surprises me thought. She never really warmed up to you. She basically told me she would not be attending our wedding whenever that may be happening. I think she resents me."

"Don't worry about her. We'll enjoy our time together even if your sister doesn't approve." Joseph picks up a letter from the pile and is about to open it when he notices the name and seal on it. It looks like Viscount Mabrey's seal.

Clarisse notices the look on Joseph's face. "What's wrong Joseph?"

"I think that I've found Viscount Mabrey's letter. Do we want to read it or burn it?" Joseph asks tentatively.

"First one then the other." Clarisse says sensibly. "After all I should know exactly what I'm going to be up against with him. He's hardly been my greatest supporter even when I was towing the line." Clarisse slowly reads the Viscount's letter and Joseph soon notices that her hand is shaking holding her teacup. That is never a good sign.

"From the looks of things Clarisse the Viscount's letter is as bad as we suspected it could be." Joseph says grimly.

"Indeed," Clarisse says throwing the letter down on the table with gusto. "Mia, would you give us some time to ourselves please?"

"Of course, grandma," Mia says sweetly. She leaves the letters she was reading on the table and walks towards the door. Suddenly she turns back to her grandmother. "Don't let Viscount Mabrey get to you. Be happy in spite of the terrible things he's saying."

"She is sweet, but I don't think she has any idea what she's asking us to do. Viscount Mabrey is not an easy man to ignore. He doesn't let himself be ignored by anyone." Clarisse says in frustration.

"She'll understand soon enough. We don't want her to have too much knowledge all at once. Viscount Mabrey will be sending nasty letters to her soon enough. We should protect her for as long as possible." Joseph says with compassion evident in his voice.


	11. Viscount Mabrey's Letter

"What does Viscount Mabrey's letter say, Clarisse?" Joseph asks as he watches Clarisse pace the room in front of the window. He knows it must be bad for her to react this way.

"You better read it. I don't even think I can repeat some of the things he said in that letter. I think his obsession is actually getting worse. I knew he wanted to be the one to marry me, but it certainly was never out of love for me I don't think. Now that I'm happy he's saying the most terrible things." Clarisse sinks onto the window seat and looks out onto the garden.

"He calls you a slut and an adulterer and he threatens you and me! How dare he! Where is he? I'll tear him apart! He has no right to say such things! I always knew he was a bastard, but this is taking it too far! I think we should increase your security Clarisse. We don't know what he's capable of in this state of mind. I want you to be safe. He could even be planning to try and kidnap you or any number of unacceptable things." Joseph rants for a while.

"Joseph we must stay calm. If we react that's exactly what he wants us to do. I need to copy this and get it to Prime Minister Motaz and the police. We're not going to sit idly by and let him say these things, but we're also not going to react ourselves. We'll let other people do the dirty work for us." Clarisse walks over to Joseph and reaches for his hands. Joseph quickly pulls her into his arms.

"I don't like that I can't do anything to change this now that we're engaged. When I was just your head of security I could threaten him a little and I could make everything right for you and Mia. To not be able to do that all of a sudden is counter to every bone in my body. I want to be able to protect you and this is another way of doing that, but it's not what I'm used to." Joseph runs his hands over his face.

"You can't do what you're used to anymore. All the media and Viscount Mabrey need is a hint of indiscretion from you or me and this is all finished. The media is looking for a reason to pick on me and to vilify you. They'll be looking for anything. We need to be squeaky clean or this could get very ugly." Clarisse explains gently.

"I can't believe that the media can still be this way. I thought we'd gotten everything under control when Mia accepted Andrew's proposal and the line was secure, but now I find out we're still on the hook! I hate that our lives can't be lived the way we want." Joseph pulls away from Clarisse and storms around the room.

"You had to know that if we got engaged we'd be under intense scrutiny. You had to be expecting that because of who I am. There will always be scrutiny. That will never end, unfortunately. I am a public figure and that will never change. There will always be questions and people who want to make life miserable. I'm sorry I can't prevent that for both of us." Clarisse sighs heavily. "Listen, you need to get to work and so do I. It may help both of us clear our heads a little after Viscount Mabrey's letter. Hopefully we'll feel much more positive about everything by the end of today."

"Promise me you won't meet with Mabrey by yourself. I have to be there if Mabrey shows up. I will not let you deal with him on your own, especially since I got you into this situation. He will not bully you. I won't let him poison our relationship." Joseph says firmly.

"I promise. Promise me you won't let your colleagues tease too badly. Don't let the insinuations get to you. They'll try to goad you into admitting things, but they're only happy for you. They like you really. That's just their way." Clarisse walks into the bedroom to do her make-up before she has any meetings.

"I could say the same thing of you. Your security services will be all over you for details about me, but don't let them get to you. They're just young and dumb in many ways and Shades will be the worst, so don't think he won't." Joseph follows Clarisse into the bedroom. "I'm off to the security office then. Is there anywhere you're going today?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I'll let you know if there is, but for the most part I'll be in my office working. Please, come and get me for a walk every so often though or I'll go crazy." Clarisse pleads with Joseph.

"I promise. I love you." Joseph kisses Clarisse's cheek and then leaves the room. A few moments later Clarisse hears the door to the suite close behind him and she sighs happily.


End file.
